Thursday, November 1, 2018

My bedroom shimmered with a rosy glow on this first morning of November. Pulling aside the sheer curtain I was greeted with the glorious brilliance of the Japanese Maple undressing shamelessly in front the yellow Maples already stripped of their beauty.

The hanging basket of snapdragons, a gift at Mothers Day almost seems to mock the garden flowers already tossed away. In summer it suffered in the heat, and now in the chill of November it continues to bloom in abundance.

A Magpie may be pondering a nesting place for next spring but will not be welcomed under my window! Suddenly the tree was all aflutter with a flock of finches chasing each other from branch to branch, sending small showers of leaves to the red carpet below.

The Begonias were decorated with leaves raining down on them as rabbit stood stoically as always through every season.These few moments of brilliant beauty made my heart glad and in merely the passing of one day, November blew in with gusts of wind and rain leaving the tree bare save for the helicopter seed pods twirling through the air.

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

a mosaic of colour which embodies my expression of life as it happened.

"RETIREMENT - A new season of my life.

A time to explore new creativity through this blog.

My goal through these postings is to share the snippets of life and nature that God, the creator brings to my attention. If you have happened to drop in to peruse my musings then I pray that you will be encouraged by the things that make my heart glad."

These are words that I posted in October 2008 and I had no idea that 10 years later I would still be enjoying this form of creativity. My goal has not changed, and I also don't know who all has dropped by, but for me this blog has become my journal of wonderful memories. When I scroll back over the years I am amazed at the places I have visited and yet also the ordinary glimpses of God's bounteous beauty in our world.

My postings are like a journey for me from the baking in my kitchen, to family dinners, picnics and Christmas retreats. My flower garden has been my joy as have the sprawling botanical estates far from home. The journey has been by foot, by train, by plane and by sea, and each of these modes of travel have taken me to places in the world that have given me incredible memories and life changing experiences - across Canada and to the USA, Mexico, Central American countries, Caribbean countries, Spain, Mediterranean countries and India. My life has been enriched by the people I have met along the way.

I have blogged around the world and yet home is still the best where my life is intersected by family and friends, and the ordinary becomes the extraordinary because God is in the midst of it all. And these moments that get captured by camera and embellished with words are the things that make my heart glad.

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Nanoose Bay is situated between Parksville and Nanaimo on the Strait of Georgia. A community that we have always just passed by became a destination for two nights of R&R where we explored four local beachfront parks. Trails through the woods and up over rocky bluffs took us amongst the unique Arbutus trees with their twisted limbs dressed in peeling red bark. The Arbutus tree is Canada's only native broadleaf evergreen tree found on Southern Vancouver Island.

PICKING POSIES ... and other ordinary things that make my heart glad.

I am a wife, mother of 4 married children, and grandmother of 10 beautiful grandchildren.
I am inspired by God's magnificent creation by capturing it in words and photos. Please respect this by not using poetry or photographs from this blog without permission.